StarCrossed
by Adagio To A Wolf
Summary: All the ballads say that opposites never make it. Here's a few Songfics for Beka and Rosto, filled with the hope that being Star-crossed, does not mean fated to fail. Will be a series of oneshots, outside of Bloodhound. Please R&R. T-to be safe.
1. Chapter 1: When did i fall for you?

**"How Did I Fall In Love With You?" by BSB  
Tamora Pierce's Characters from Beka Cooper Books.**

**A/N: completely ignore everything that happened in my version of Bloodhound. It will make more sense that way. **

Remember when, we never needed each other  
The best of friends like  
Sister and Brother  
We understood, we'd never be,  
Alone

It had been easy. She and Rosto were friends. They had breakfast together. The most she felt for him was a sibling like rivalry and sibling like intimacy. And she wasn't that intimate with her siblings. If anything, she liked Rosto more than she did her own sister. That changed a little bit when he became the Rogue. He was always gone at some odd hour of the night. Neither of them were really alone, they just weren't together.

Those days are gone, and I want you so much  
The night is long and I need your touch  
Don't know what to say  
I never meant to feel this way  
Don't want to be  
Alone tonight

It had been at the point when he broke it off with Aniki and before he took on one of those Doxy-mots he was so fond of. Really, they were all the same, and they never stayed. But it was somewhere in there, that she realized, she didn't like the Pipers playthings. They always distracted Rosto from her. Not that she was jealous or anything. She just liked having him to herself for breakfast, and those Doxies, well they never stayed.

What can I do, to make you mine  
Falling so hard so fast this time  
What did I say, what did you do?  
How did I fall in love with you?

One morning, he'd come down with a horrid black bruise over his eye. When she asked about it, he didn't brag. He'd told his most recent plaything that she was unwelcome and she'd slugged him. Beka didn't laugh. If anything, she felt sorry for him. She got the bruisebalm from her room, applying it gently to his eye with her pinky. Something about the way he let her touch his face, that close to his eyes, he was so trusting, so vulnerable. He hadn't made a move on her in a while, but this. This moment, made the pit of her stomach disappear. And it wasn't a bad feeling. He had smiled his thanks. She had wanted to touch him again. She did, cupping his cheek with her hand. When Ersken walked in, she pulled her hand away quickly. What had happened? It didn't matter that she was touching Rosto, folk only reacted that way, if they did sommat wrong. Right?

I hear your voice  
And I start to tremble  
Brings back the child that, I resemble

Then one night she'd caught him as he was stumbling back to his room. She had gone to get water from the Kitchens and make herself a sandwich. Rosto had been pretending to be drunk all night and was still stumbling and slurring even though he was sober. She offered him a piece of sandwich to get the alcohol out of his stomach. He'd laughed quietly and told her he wasn't drunk. He stood there talking to her about people of the Rogue. She knew more about them than he did. She had lived in Corus all her life. Rosto told her to go to bed, she was shivering. Beka had gotten goosebumps listening to him speak. Every deep rumble caused a shiver to run up her spine. She wasn't cold. Why was it she reacted to him this way?

I cannot pretend, that we can still be friends  
Don't want to be,  
Alone tonight

When she reached her room, she went through all her encounters with Rosto, and apart from the occasional innocent flirting, they'd been good friends. But somehow, things had changed. It wasn't enough that they be just friends. Ever since that kiss. Just in the back of her mind, she knew what she wanted. Ever since that kiss, she had wanted to touch him. To return the kiss in kind. To leave him gasping for air like he had left her. _Stop it Beka!_ She told herself, chiding herself mentally. _He's the Rogue. You're a Dog. Nothing there. Stop it. _

What can I do, to make you mine  
Falling so hard so fast this time  
What did I say, what did you do?  
How did I fall in love with you?

And then he'd gone and bought her a belt. It was harmless really. Nothing special. Just a plain leather belt. Her old one had finally snapped. But there was something about the way he gave it to her, told her to put it on, then the way he'd adjusted the buckle. He'd just done the friendly thing and bought her a belt. I mean. It was a belt. There was nothing romantic about it. Kinky, maybe. But Romantic? Not at all. She felt like he was claiming her as his own. She was being silly. But she couldn't help but notice that the doxies stopped coming after that.

Oh I want to say this right  
And it has to be tonight  
Just need you to know, oh yeah

She'd realized about halfway through a brawl with RiverDodgers that she was in Love with him. Really, it was ridiculous. She was about to lose her skin, and she was thinking about how horrible it would be to leave Rosto behind. Rosto. Ridiculousness. Luckily, she and her Dogs had gotten out of the brawl with their skin still attached. And when she'd finally returned home, Rosto was in the tavern, dark eyes lost in the fireplace, which had gone cold. He'd seen her walk in and stoked the flames until they were good and hot. This time he got the bruise balm. "Rosto? How do I thank you?" She had wanted to tell him how she felt. Tell him she loved him. But all he could do was shrug. He had a shrug like a crow. One that implied mischief even though he was innocently helping her. Her bruises would be nasty, but not absolutely horrible. She shivered as his hand tucked her hair behind her ear. She couldn't help it, she leaned in and kissed his mouth.

"That's as good a way as any." He'd grinned when she pulled away.

I don't want to live this life  
I don't want to say goodbye  
With you I wanna spend  
The rest of my life

There courtship had been long. They didn't dare be obvert with their feelings for each other. Mainly because if they courted openly, folk would talk. He would do little things for her. She would do little things for him. Things that were innocent. People would just say they were talking. But Beka could always tell by the look in his eye. He could always tell by watching her smile, if there was a dimple in it, she was doing it for him. Small gestures. It had been ages before she'd spent the night in his room. Not that he'd minded. She was well worth the wait. And because no one thought Rosto and Beka were more than friends, no one, not even their fellow housemates knew she'd spent the night. When they found her there, dressed, the next morning, they assumed she'd gone down early and they simply hadn't heard her.

What can I do, to make you mine  
Falling so hard so fast this time  
What did I say, what did you do?  
How did I fall in love with you?

One afternoon, he'd heard of an illegal slave auction, all the 'merchandise' was supposed to be girls who had yet to start their monthlies. Innocents. The buyers, from what Rosto could hear, would be lecherous older men. He couldn't stomach slavery. Especially not the slavery of children. So, quietly, he'd told Beka. She and her Dogs had marched off to investigate, bringing a host of men in for the illegal slave auction as well as the prostitution of minors. One of the girls was so young she still played with dolls. She'd given Beka her doll in thanks. When Beka had seen Rosto, she handed over the doll with a smile, a dimple gracing her cheek. "My thanks. And hers." Rosto kept the doll, placing it on the mantel of the fireplace. Folk wondered for years why that doll was there. He needed only to see it, and he put illegal child slavers behind bars. For her.

What can I do, to make you mine  
Falling so hard so fast this time  
Everything's changed, we never knew

They never had to say "I love you." He'd been the first to express it. They were in his bed for the evening and it was cold. (Cold for her, he was used to far more brutal weather) and he'd brought out his furs, just to make sure she would be extra warm. He'd said it just as she snuggled next to him. But she'd been only a heartbeat behind. "I don't know when it happened Rosto, but I love you too." They didn't say it too often for risk someone would hear them. Still, it didn't stop either of them from wanting to hear it.

How did I fall,  
in love ,  
with you?

It had been one of those slow days. Slow for Dogs. Slow for Rogues. Slow for everyone. Beka had been thinking, she'd remembered that once upon a time, she and Rosto had been no more than friends. Close, like a brother and sister, but close none the less. Now she couldn't imagine a day without him. They were so close now, some folk had begun to wonder if they had once been lovers. Little did they know that Rosto and Beka had been more than lovers for a long time. They were more than lovers: they were family.

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**Reviews? Please and Thank You! **


	2. Chapter 2: Speak Softly Love

Music/Lyrics by Andy Williams  
Theme from "The Godfather"  
Characters: Beka and Rosto (from Pierce's Terrier)  
Sidenote: After "Bloodhound." I own nothing.

Beka was about to head out onto the biggest case of her life: she was going to hunt down the young prince, who had been kidnapped. She was packing quickly, and a swift black mare was waiting in the courtyard outside the Dancing Dove (Rosto had finished the stables). He was downstairs then, sulking, because Beka was leaving Corus for Gods-only-knew how long.

_Speak softly, love and hold me warm against your heart  
I feel your words, the tender trembling moments start_

Beka ran downstairs and, in front of the entire house, the entire Court of the Rogue, slipped her arms around Rosto's neck in a hug. People murmured and tittered and looked confused but Beka held on to Rosto and he whispered in her ear. "Come back to me." She shuddered at the deep rumble and looked into his dark eyes, bringing her nose close to his, the two of them sharing the same breath. He rubbed his nose against hers: it was their secret gesture to say 'I love you' without saying anything at all. She rubbed her nose against his and with a final squeeze was out the door, on her horse, and away.

_We're in a world, our very own  
Sharing a love that only few have ever known_

Every night while she was away, Rosto left a lantern hanging at the door above the Dancing Dove. He lit it himself with a prayer and a song that his love would come back safe and sound. But during the nights, while he was in the Court of the Rogue, he slowly became darker, violent, and anti-social. There was no Beka to bring out Rosto, and it was only through Kora's efforts, her moments of scrying (which she couldn't do well) that Rosto got a glimpse of her. His world was dark without her.

_Wine-colored days warmed by the sun  
Deep velvet nights when we are one_

Meanwhile, in the desert, Beka was always just a day behind those who had captured the young prince. The desert itself was magical: sunsets of brilliant red and bourbon, nights that were cool, but such a perfect dark, that every star was seen. In her loneliness she sang and spoke with Pounce, and while she slept, she thought of Rosto and how he had made her world so much better, so much more interesting. It was because of his Rogue's sign, that she managed to get the very information she needed in every city, and why she was a day behind instead of five. She would find the Prince and bring him home and go back to Rosto.

_Speak softly, love so no one hears us but the sky  
The vows of love we make will live until we die_

She had found the Young Prince almost completely by accident, swooped in and grabbed him, and took off, urging her horse to an ever-constant gallop. The animal was swift and ran across the sand like it was racing the wind. Beka reached out to the wind, "I'm coming home." She whispered into it, sending it onward with her Gift. It would whirl around Rosto's head, or Ersken's, or Tunstall's, and they'd recognize her voice. When she reached Corus, she did not urge the horse to the Palace. No. She went home, to her heart first. She saw the Lantern burning outside the door and nearly cried.

_My life is yours and all because  
You came into my world with love so softly love_

At the Dancing Dove, Goodwin, Tunstall and Ersken were there, checking in on the Rogue, and when she threw open the door, Ersken was at her side first. She handed the young Prince to him. "Take him to the Palace. Tell them the Elkhound sends her greetings." With that she flitted through the crowd in the Dancing Dove and dropped to her knee's when she reached the Rogue's throne. "Your majesty, I want to speak with Rosto." She whispered, her eyes filled with tears, and love. The Rogue's eyes flickered and died, leaving only Rosto in their depths. He saw her and his glimmered with tears. Tears of joy and he dropped to his knee's beside her scooping her into his arms and holding her tight.

_Wine-colored days warmed by the sun  
Deep velvet nights when we are one_

"Lets go to Persopolis" she whispered in his ear as he held her. "One month, just you, me, and the desert. It's beautiful out there Rosto." He couldn't speak. He just nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly to her suggestion. It was then that he realized that he was still in court and decided to move them out of the sight of prying eyes. He wanted her to himself this first night back. People had been murmuring of their relationship since she had left three months prior. They didn't have to murmur now, they knew there was something between them, and they didn't care. They could tell the Rogue was a better man when the Bloodhound was near his heart.

_Speak softly, love so no one hears us but the sky  
The vows of love we make will live until we die_

"What of the Prince? Will the child be alright?" he asked, helping her bathe. She was covered with the grime of the road, with sand in her throat and in her hair, and only water in her belly. She had pondered it for a moment.

"My Dogs are taking him home to his Majesty. I'm happy right where I am, with the King of my Heart." He grinned when she said that, and she could feel his grin, though she couldn't see him through her wet hair. When she had finished washing in silence, she spoke again: "The only child I'm interested in right now is my own" Her eyes were soft and filled with warmth. "Interested?" Her eyes twinkled in the dark.

He lifted her nude form right into his bed and whispered into her ears, kissing her neck softly. "I think I can help you with that."

_My life is yours and all because  
You came into my world with love so softly love_


	3. Chapter 3: Carpe Diem

Song is "As Long As You're Mine" from the Broadway Musical, WICKED.  
Characters are Beka and Rosto, from Tamora Pierce's TERRIER  
Rated T Just because there's some strong (but not explicit) references to Canoodling.

* * *

KISS ME TOO FIERCELY  
HOLD ME TOO TIGHT  
I NEED HELP BELIEVING  
YOU'RE WITH ME TONIGHT 

She was feeling lost. Somewhere in her brain Beka had registered that she'd fallen in love with Rosto. In love? Beka? Impossible. She was far too sensible to fall in love with anyone, much less Rosto the Piper, King of the Court of the Rogue. But it was Midwinter and he'd come up to her, wanting to wish her Midwinters luck. And Sweet Mother, he looked glorious in this weather. He seemed to excel in it, the cold, the wind, the snow, everything she hated about winter made him thrive. And then he'd kissed her. A warm, sweet, real kiss, on the mouth. Not a peck, but one with depth. Beka couldn't keep her hands to herself; she reached up and kissed him back, fiercely holding him to her.

MY WILDEST DREAMINGS  
COULD NOT FORESEE  
LYING BESIDE YOU  
WITH YOU WANTING ME

It wasn't long after that, that Watch had finally pushed Beka to her limits. It had been a maddeningly bad night, made worse by a vicious snow-storm. Beka and her Dogs eventually decided that Watch was absolutely futile in a blizzard and that they should go home. When she stumbled into the boarding house, she was ready to pass out from the cold. Strong arms caught her when she stumbled: pale, white, arms with long fingers and dagger scars across the knuckles. Rosto. When she woke the next morning, his strong arms wrapped around her, his furs tickling her nose. She couldn't believe it. When she saw his glorious face, she couldn't help but feel touched and amazed that she had shared a bed with Rosto. She had slept with Rosto and, one quick check of her body told her, they had not canoodled. Oddly, she wished they had. 'Well, _that_ could be remedied' she thought, shaking Rosto awake.

JUST FOR THIS MOMENT  
AS LONG AS YOU'RE MINE  
I'VE LOST ALL RESISTANCE  
AND CROSSED SOME BORDERLINE

He was lying at her side tracing circles on her skin with a finger, then he'd lean forward and cover her neck and shoulders in kisses. Just when she started feeling giddy, he'd place a kiss on her mouth and go back to tracing circles, on some other part of her skin. While she lay there, enjoying the pleasant tickling sensations, Beka thought about the implications of what she'd done. She had crossed the line, the line drawn for her by her Dogs. She'd bedded the Rogue, canoodled extensively with him, and enjoyed every delicious moment of it. Rosto felt her tense up and started kissing the skin of her neck again, paying special attention to the place where her neck ran into her shoulder. "You've done nothing wrong. We just couldn't resist each other anymore." He moaned it into her ear and she gave up resisting.

AND IF IT TURNS OUT  
IT'S OVER TOO FAST  
I'LL MAKE EVERY LAST MOMENT LAST  
AS LONG AS YOU'RE MINE…

It was well into the next day before either of them decided to haul themselves out of bed. They had come to some unspoken agreement about not mentioning their,_ encounter_ to their fellow house-mates. But when Ersken showed up at Rosto's door, a worried look on his face, Rosto and Beka knew that their plan went through the floor. They would have to remember the encounter they'd had, and treasure it, for with the entire house watching them, they'd never have a moment like it again.

MAYBE I'M BRAINLESS  
MAYBE I'M WISE  
BUT YOU'VE GOT ME SEEING  
THROUGH DIFFERENT EYES

After that, both Rosto and Beka had changed. She wasn't so fussy about her house-mates talking about Rogue business at the breakfast table, and Rosto stopped doing business that would make Beka raise her hackles. Some of his district chiefs had thought he was mad: banning the sale of illegal slaves, separating the gambling and drinking dens, and putting a price on the head of any man who attacked a Dog. Beka in turn, paid close attention to thieves she knew were under the Rogue, and let Rosto handle them. Her Dogs thought she was mad, but when they realized that the system worked, they chalked it up to Beka and Rosto's friendship and left it at that.

SOMEHOW I'VE FALLEN  
UNDER YOUR SPELL  
AND SOMEHOW I'M FEELING  
IT'S "UP" THAT I FELL ...

It had been spring when Beka had finally told Rosto about the full extent of her Gift. When he'd realized why she fed those 'dirty birds' in the morning, he had stopped making fun of them. He helped her, standing protectively behind her as the pigeons congregated at her feet. When he saw she was sad or annoyed by the birds, he'd give her shoulder a tap and then shoo the birds away. In turn, she always told him about what she'd heard. It was easier to bear the burden's placed on her by the dead, if she had someone to talk to. He was glad she told him about the pigeons, because he heard more conspiracies for his throne from the ghosts, than from his people in court. It kept him on his toes.

EVERY MOMENT  
AS LONG AS YOU'RE MINE  
I'LL WAKE UP MY BODY  
AND MAKE UP FOR LOST TIME...

Life was interestingly easier and less complicated now that the Terrier was in his heart (and bed). But after a month of being unable to cuddle up to her, a month of pretending he didn't like her _that way_ Rosto lost his cool. He picked up Pounce and threw him out the door, then encouraged Aniki, Phelan, Ersken, and Kora to follow the Cat and get their breakfast elsewhere and to keep their mouths shut in the meantime. "Now. To make up for lost time." He'd grumbled, turning to find her barely able to keep from laughing. She knew what he wanted. He wanted to share her bed, look into her blue-gray eyes, the color of ice, and feel her warm skin next to his. When his mouth descended on hers she let out a sigh. "Good idea" and happily helped him remove his tunic.

SAY THERE'S NO FUTURE  
FOR US AS A PAIR ...  
AND THOUGH I MAY KNOW  
I DON'T CARE …

It had never once occurred to either of them that they wouldn't work out. Rosto did what he could to keep Beka happy, and she did her best to keep him happy. Rosto never asked her to ignore murder, and Beka never asked him to show favoritism to her or her Dogs. Anything that happened in which Beka had to arrest one of Rosto's people, he let it slide, because he knew it was her only option. She was the same in the other direction: if he had to kill, she knew he did it because it was the only course left to him. They ignored those times as "Work" and took comfort in each other in their "off" times. When Phelan mentioned that most star-crossed lovers never made it, they both snorted their disagreement. Star-crossed lovers never made it because they were too different at heart. At heart, Rosto and Beka were the same.

JUST FOR THIS MOMENT  
AS LONG AS YOU'RE MINE  
COME BE HOW YOU WANT TO  
AND SEE HOW BRIGHT WE SHINE

One year, Beltane chanced on one of Beka's Days-Off, and she and Rosto decided to ignore Rogue activity that night. They took a walk together, and though some folk tittered, all knew that neither the Terrier nor the Rogue was working. As they walked through the Temple district, one of the priestess's of the Mother, asked if they would jump the fires for a good harvest and good luck this year. She didn't recognize the Rogue and had never heard of the Terrier. Rosto and Beka looked around, shared a grin, and decided to do it. They jumped over the coals together, knowing full well it was something only done by couples in love. They jumped several times and were out of breath and laughing when they finally walked off to share his bed. If anyone asked, they did it for the Mother Goddess and the harvest, (and each other).

BORROW THE MOONLIGHT  
UNTIL IT IS THROUGH  
AND KNOW I'LL BE HERE HOLDING YOU  
AS LONG AS YOU'RE MINE...

She had finished her training with Ahuda two years ago and, after the "Elkhound" event, she had become a Senior Dog. One of the youngest Senior Dogs in history. At roughly 23 years of age, Beka was tired of walking such a dangerous watch every night. But rather than quit, she had a better idea. One that would get her on Day Watch for at least two or three years, and give her several months as a Teaching Dog for the next batch of Puppies. She had knocked on his door, very late one night. It was so late, that by some standards somewhere, it would be considered early. Rosto knew something was up, but he was so excited by her presence at his door, that he didn't yet want to ask her what was on her mind. "I want you to have this." She handed over the anti-pregnancy charm she'd been wearing for the past few years. Rosto stared at it in disbelief. He had feeling his 'inner clock' tick, but he hadn't wanted to force the idea on her. "What brought this on?" he asked her with a smile.

"It's just-- for the first time I wanted to do something for me. For us." She said, looking down at her hands. Sometimes, when she was afraid, she went back to being shy. He gave a happy woop and lifted her into a bone-crunching hug. She wanted to laugh at his enthusiasm, then she heard his wicked chuckle and joined in. With fervor she hadn't felt since that first morning together, his mouth descended on hers, and she kissed him back just as fiercely, eagerly wondering what the next few years would hold.


	4. Chapter 4: For You

Song: "For You" by The Calling

Characters: Beka/Rosto from Tamora Pierce's "Terrier"

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

I am a vision

I am justice

Never thought that I could love

Really. When did Dogs fall in love? They didn't. Dogs had partners, on the job and off, but not love. It was just one of those things. They knew that IF they fell in love, IF they loved anyone, that person was always at risk. Someone would kidnap a lover just to get back at the Dog who put them in the cages. Dog's didn't fall in love, unless it was with another Dog. And Beka was just the kindof mot who didn't "fall" into anything. Stumble into it, plan for it, but not fall. Nope. She had no intentions of falling in love.

Living in shadows

Fading existence

It was never good enough

But she had watched several Dogs in her age group in love. It was odd at first, but the more Dogs that fell in love the more Beka felt like the odd-pup out. Like the runt of the litter. People found her scary. Her world was one of the darkest, filled with murderers, spies, thieves, and a host of other really bad types. She spent every night wondering if she would come home alive. Would she wish that type of worry on anyone?

Within the darkness

You are the light that shines the way

But you're trapped in violence

I can be the man who saves the day

And then there was Rosto. Always Rosto. Who flirted with her, some would say outrageously flirted with her. Who didn't worry about her at night, and who promised his men would never hurt her. Beka didn't believe him, but when she went out on Watch, she was the only Dog who never got lip from a Rat. It was almost an honor in the court of the Rogue to be caught by the Terrier. And Rosto was never mad at her for arresting his folk. He'd laugh and his smile would light up the room, breaking through the darkness of her world.

I'm there for you

No matter what

I'm there for you

Never giving up

I'm there for you

For You

He always seemed to be there for her. When she'd had a rough night, he was at the door to the Dove, waiting with a drink and a late night snack. When she was sick of the pigeons and the dustspinners, he'd snap her out of it and take her for a walk, so she wouldn't have to worry. When she was angry and anxious, he'd pipe a tune just for her, so she'd calm down. And best of all, he never asked anything of her. Beka had asked why he did half the things he did, but Rosto just admitted it was because he wanted to, and for no other reason.

Someone's changed me

Something's saved me

And this is who I am

Beka had been in the Doxie's Skirt, a bar known for its brawls and she and her Dogs were outnumbered. Just as they became surrounded, a voice called out and every single brawler stopped dead in his tracks. "If you want to keep your skins in tact, you won't kill those Dogs." The voice was cool and low. Someone started to protest, "I'll not have them killing Dogs in my sight! I'll end up in the Cages! Back off of them, now!" and with that the brawlers went back to their beers. When they cleared, Beka saw Rosto, Aniki, and Phelan at an upturned table. Rosto looked smug.

Although I was blinded

My heart let me find out

That truth makes a better man

When she had thanked him at breakfast, he had adamantly denied having done it for any reason other than his own skin, and she'd accepted that. That was the Rosto she knew. Smart. Later, Aniki pulled her aside and told her that Rosto had heard that there was three Dogs being trounced in the Doxies Skirt and had high-tailed it there quickly, so he could have a reason to stop them. "But why stop them in the first place?" asked Beka, confused as to why Aniki was telling her this.

"For You." Replied Aniki shortly, as she walked out of Beka's room. Beka was left standing there, confused as ever. Why on earth would Rosto do something like that, for her?

I didn't notice

That you were right in front of me

Our masks of silence

We'll put away so we can see

She'd found him playing his pipe on his throne, but it was day, and there was no one else in the Dove. She had been planning on visiting the Dust-spinners, but had changed her mind when she saw him just sitting there. "Rosto?" she asked, coming up to the throne. He permitted her to sit across from him. "Aniki says that when you heard we was in trouble at the Doxies Skirt, you purposely went there." He looks annoyed at first, but nods that, that was exactly what he did. "Why? Aniki says you done it for me, but why?"

"Because I promised, Beka. No one hurts a Dog and especially not you." He'd said quietly, putting the pipe down softly on the table. She'd eyed him polishing it before. When she still looked confused, he added. "I don't want ye dead lass. Not before I've had my debt paid, and my chance to add you to my string." Beka had looked cross for a moment, but eventually sighed in relief. Just the Rosto-like response she was expecting. So why was she hoping for me.

Within the darkness

You are the light that shines a way

In this blind justice

I can be that man who saves the day

She'd been sitting with her pigeons on afternoon, it was early fall and the sun was warm though the air was cool and brisk. The pigeons had gathered and stuck around, long after she'd run out of bread and corn to give them. Someone loped through them and sat down next to her at the fountain. She'd seen the flash of white-blonde hair and just waited for Rosto to explain himself. He threw some corn-meal and seeds into the mass of pigeons and when the croo-ing of the birds was almost unbearably loud, he sat down. Still not saying anything, he sat there, feeding birds, until his bag was empty. "I ain't supposed to be telling you this," he murmured quietly, setting the bag down on the fountains lip. He gave a piercing whistle, mimicking the cry of a hawk, and the pigeons took flight. "Firebird Street. In the red barn. Tonight. " He'd said quietly over the flapping of wings. Beka had been confused, but told her Dogs about it. They decided they'd lope on over, see what little tidbit the Piper was offering the Terrier.

I'm there for you

No matter what

I'm there for you

Never giving up

Gixies. Lots and lots of gixies. For Sale. And not as common slaves. Bedroom toys. All of them Lower City, Cesspool children, and gixies, all of them. Not one was older than 12, to Beka's keen eye. With a quick look, Beka had run for more Dogs, and before the hour was done, every single slaver was in the Cage-cart, and every single lecher had gotten a good walloping from the Dogs, and from the very gixies they was about to buy. Goodwin swore mightily and hounded them all the way to the Kennel. Tunstall pulled Beka aside. "The Piper would have gotten a big chunk of that sale. But he told you about it." He didn't need to say more. Beka knew that Tunstall would keep his mouth shut, and that she would have to speak with Rosto. Thank him.

Cause you know it's true

You were there for me

And I'm there for you

Rosto was seated at his throne when she'd returned. She hadn't asked, she just walked right onto his throne. She held out a small doll. One of the gixies had been holding onto it while the men were eyeing her. She had cried herself to sleep in Beka's arms. When her mother had finally come for her, she'd given Beka the doll with a squeak. She placed the doll in Rosto's hands, "Her thanks," she'd said as he took the doll, confused. She leaned into his face, looking directly into his deep brown eyes. "And mine," she whispered. Rosto smirked and gave a small nod. With that, she stepped down off the platform and strolled up to her room. Rosto stood up and put the doll on the mantel of the fireplace.

For you

For you

For you

He'd stopped by her room after everyone had left from the Dove. Since he lived downstairs, she knew he had come up to talk to her for a reason. He leaned against the doorframe, watching her as she unbraided her hair, laying her spike trap down, next to her baton and cords. Beka was meticulous about the organization of them, and everything was perfectly in line. "Why did you tell me about the slave sale, if you would've made money on it?" She'd asked him, as his eyes followed her every move, when she moved to stand in front of him.

He bent his head forward and touched his mouth to hers. His lips were as soft as breath, cool as rain, and had the effect of wiping her mind entirely and blissfully blank. When he'd pulled back, his eyes smoldered. "For you." He whispered, "Only for you."


	5. Chapter 5: Mata Hari

**Foreward: For those of you who actually hunt down the song and listen to it play while reading, this song is called "Lejla" and it won the Eurovision song contest for 2006. It was sung by Hari Mata Hari. For those of you who are interested in knowing these tidbits of information, the language that Hari is singing in is Bosnian, and I use that as the root language of Scanran (although, with some slight variation.) Since you don't know Bosnian, I'm using the translation in the songfic. If you want to hear the song, youtube it, or google it: it's really a beautiful song, and it's one of my favorites. **

* * *

**Traversing the fields, there is a scent on the wind  
****And pain follows me like a shadow.  
****Are you sighing after me somewhere?  
****Where are you hidden from me?**

Rosto had woken quickly when a fall breeze had blown his window open. Normally he would look around and then close the windows, drifting back into his usual half-sleep. But that morning had been different. There had been something on that wind that had pulled him from his covers, and caused him to look out the window. Barely visible in the early morning light, was a shadowy figure walking toward the dancing dove, followed by a violet-eyed shadow. _Beka. _He watched her as she stalked quietly into the yard, pausing to look around. Her face looked pained and slightly embarrassed when she'd realized that Rosto was watching her from his window.

**Place rosemary in your hair  
****And a flower from the old fountain  
****Lejla, could you love another?  
(Side note: the meaning of 'another' is 'someone who's not me')**

"Someone's home rather late," Rosto said, strolling into the kitchen, having come down quickly from his room to see what Beka was up to. She had a sprig of rosemary in her hair, and gilly flowers in her hands. A dozen or so in bright pink and white, but in the very middle was a thick bright red. Rosto felt his breath catch when he saw her hide the flowers behind her back. _Has someone been giving her flowers? Is that why she was out so late?_ Thought Rosto, looking Beka up and down.

**If they marry you away tomorrow  
****Know that I can't be there  
****These sorrows are easily forgiven  
****But love never be (forgiven)  
****Could you ever love another?**

He knew that Beka was far too straight and law abiding to fall in love with a Rusher, especially not one who was King of the Rogue. But he'd thought he'd have more time to work on her, see how much affection she had for him. He wasn't expecting her to find someone else, someone who was not-Rosto, so quickly. How come he hadn't heard of this secret lover? How come he didn't know? And why hadn't Beka told him? He could forgive her moving on, but the secret? He couldn't forgive her for that.

**Dove, my dove (literally, Pigeon, but they're the same)  
****Bring her my tears instead of this song  
****I'm leaving, as if guilty  
****For loving her whom I shouldn't**

He hadn't waited for her response that morning. He'd simply wandered back to his room and started to play a slow and mournful song, one that he'd learned in Scanra. It was about a man who loved a woman, who simply couldn't love him back. Who was gone. The doves in the song reminded him rather appropriately of Beka. Her and those ridiculous pigeons. She'd said once that Dove's didn't carry the souls of the dead. They may not, but they could carry away his crushed dreams.

**Dove, my dove  
****Bring her my tears instead of this song  
****I'm leaving, as if guilty  
****For loving you who I'm not allowed **

He wasn't allowed to love her. Not really. But sometime between working for Ulsa and becoming the Rogue, he'd realized that Beka would never be "just another mot" and that she wouldn't be, "just another plaything." In his heart he'd claimed her as his own: she was his Terrier, and how dare anyone try to take her away from him. He would find out who was her secret lover, and he would take him apart.

**For loving you, Lejla**

He was disrupted from further musings by a knock on the door. He opened it to see no one there. On the floor in front of his door was a note with the bright red gilly flower he had seen in Beka's bouquet, laid across the paper. He picked it up, reading the note in Beka's hand.

_You dinna let me answer, you white haired looby: I wasn't late, I left early. The flowers are repayment for the ones you gave me. The rest are downstairs, I thought they'd be nice for the Dove. This one is for you._

–_Beka. _

* * *

Author's Note: I had you for a moment, didn't I? Ha-ha! Enjoy and please review!

Lady Wolf


	6. Chapter 6: Iris

**Song: "Iris" by the Goo-Goo Dolls  
Pairing: Beka/Rosto (duh) from Pierce's "Terrier"  
Disclaimer: I neither own the music, nor the characters.**

Long nights. Rosto hated them. There were times when he had to stay up late, waiting for news, for reports, for one last delivery from his people. But when no one else was up at that time, it drove him quietly mad. He needed to "encourage" some sort of punctuality in his folk, acos this was getting ridiculous. He stormed into the kitchen of the Dove, hoping that maybe a snack would keep him awake.

**And I'd give up forever to touch you  
Cause I know that you feel me somehow  
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be  
And I don't want to go home right now**

Beka was in the kitchen, which threw Rosto for a moment. He hadn't seen or heard her come down. She was sitting at the table, trying to spoon the last of the apple-preserves from a jar and onto a piece of bread. For a brief second, she paused when he walked in, but then continued scraping down the sides of the jar. Rosto walked over, trying to muster some grace. He placed his hand over hers on the jar. He didn't take it from her, he just needed to touch her. He placed his other hand on her shoulder, stepping behind her. She stayed still, not flinching, not tensing away, just complete stillness.

**And all I can taste is this moment  
And all I can breathe is your life  
Cause sooner or later it's over  
I just don't want to miss you tonight**

She held still, the jar and spoon clenched in her hands. Rosto's skin was warm against hers, there was a soft rustle as Rosto bent his head to hers, his breath a whisper on her cheek. Beka exhaled quietly, waiting for Rosto to say or do something more. He pressed a soft kiss to her neck, lips a petal soft flutter against her skin. Beka gave him the chance, she angled her head, baring her throat to him and his kisses. The front door jingled, and Rosto jumped, jerking his hands back. He looked down at her, wary and hating that the Rogue had once again gotten between them. He stalked out of the kitchen, hissing curses about idiots with bad timing.

**And I don't want the world to see me  
Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
When everything's made to be broken  
I just want you to know who I am**

Rosto berated himself mentally in the short distance between the Kitchen and his front room. He knew that Beka had relaxed, bared her neck, opened herself up to a chance…A Chance! In that moment, he hated the Rogue. He knew they couldn't be seen together. The world wouldn't understand that maybe, if they had a chance, like the one that'd just slipped away, maybe they could make it work. Curse the rusher and his awful timing.

**And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming  
Or the moment of truth in your lies  
When everything seems like the movies  
Yeah you bleed just to know your alive**

With the rusher gone, Rosto walked back into the kitchen. Beka had given up on the jar, and was tucking into her piece of bread with apple-preserves all over the top. Rosto went into the cool corner and brought up a skin of wine. He poured her a glass, noting how her eyes watched the pale gold trickle flow from the skin. "It's Dandelion Wine," Rosto murmured, pushing the cup toward her. She looked at him, he was offering more than the wine: he was offering himself with it. She wanted to cry, they could never be, not happily. Not with him a Rogue. "Beka, we could be…" he said, watching as she stared at the wine. She shook her head. Her eyes told him what she could not, they couldn't be anything together.

**And I don't want the world to see me  
Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
When everything's made to be broken  
I just want you to know who I am**

Rosto nodded that he understood. He nudged the glass over to her, and left from the table. Beka couldn't look at him, the hurt in her heart mirrored in his eyes. She glared at the wine. She hated that they couldn't be anything together. She wished they could just _be_. Without the whole damn world watching and clucking in disapproval. She hurled the wine glass at the opposite wall, wincing slightly at the sound of it shattering. She felt immediately awful: glass was expensive, and she shouldn't have broken it. It wasn't the glasses fault. She pricked her finger on a shard, blood welling onto her thumb as she hissed.

**I don't want the world to see me  
Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
When everything's made to be broken  
I just want you to know who I am**

Rosto had turned around, leaping down the stairs like a cat, when he'd heard the glass shatter. Had someone come in through the kitchen door? He made for the kitchen, freezing when he saw her crouched on the floor, glaring at her hand, at the blood dribbled from her finger and down her palm, a little red path down her arm. He leaped over the table to get to her, clearing it silently. He grabbed a clean dishcloth from a cupboard, pressing it to her hand. "I just want us to _be. _I want to know who you _are_. I want you to know who I _am._" She whispered it, and her will betrayed her, as a single tear streaked down her cheek. He brushed it away with his thumb. "Does that make sense to you?" She pressed her cheek into his palm.

**I just want you to know who I am  
I just want you to know who I am  
I just want you to know who I am  
I just want you to know who I am**

"Yeah, it makes sense." Rosto murmured, pulling Beka toward him. She curled into his arms. "We can't be a couple. We can't wed, or be seen in public together. But we can _be_," he lifted her face to look at him. Be, as shy or as bold as we want, be ourselves. "We can _be_, with each other. Be whoever we want, be whoever we truly are, and we can _be_, with each other. That's all I wanted. I just wanted you to know who I really am."


	7. Chapter 7: The Puppy's Lullaby

In "Terrier," Ahuda starts "The Puppy's Lullaby" during the burial of Verene and Rollo. I've always wondered what that song would sound like. The other day i was on Youtube and heard "Come little children" from the Hocus Pocus movie. I thought it the kind of perfectly haunting tune for "The Puppy's Lullaby." If you're like me and can hear the music as you read (or even can sing along) that's great. But a few people on youtube have the song repeated a couple of times....and you can just insert these words for theirs. Enjoy. **---Lady Wolf**---

**The Puppy's Lullaby**

Come little children, I'll take thee away,

Into a land of enchantment

Come little children the time's come to play

Here in my garden of magic.

Follow sweet children, I'll show thee the way

To fight through the pain and the sadness

Weep not poor children for Life's not this way

Murdering beauty and passions

See me my children, I fight through day

Saving my people from madness

Listen my children, live life my way

Protecting the weak and the harmless

Hush now dear children we'll change it I say

Though weary of fights and deception

Rest now my children, you've had you're day

There's peace in Deaths calm and quiet.

Go little children, I'll send thee that way,

Into that land of enchantments

Go little children, the time comes to play

Far from this city of Shadows.


	8. Chapter 8: I loved you first

**Song: Samson by Regina Spekto**

**Beka/Rosto (of Course)**

**Notes: Outside of (my) Bloodhound. After TP's Bloodhound**

Rosto the Piper had one weak spot. Not that he'd admit to it, in public or private. But that weak spot walked around in black gear, baton, and a spike trap in her braid. That weak-spot had dark blond hair and icy blue eyes and a penchant for talking to pigeon's and dancing with dust-spinners. Not that he'd admit to anyone that he had a weak spot for Beka Cooper. No, some days he wouldn't even admit it to himself.

**You are my sweetest downfall**

**I loved you first, I loved you first**

**Beneath the sheets of paper lies my truth**

**I have to go, I have to go**

**Your hair was long when we first met**

After the Rogue had moved out of Mistress Trout's lodgings, Rosto saw less of Beka. Sure there was breakfast in the morning, and on occasion he saw her while she walked her watch, but there were no more of those moments where he saw her just sitting out in the yard feeding pigeons, or those times when they ran into each other on the stairs, and their bodies rushed with a flirting heat. He used to watch her pick up the vase of bright-red gillyflowers with a silly smile on her face. Now he couldn't be there to smile at her silliness.

**Samson went back to bed**

**Not much hair left on his head**

**He ate a slice of wonder bread and went right back to bed**

**And history books forgot about us and the bible didn't mention us**

**And the bible didn't mention us, not even once**

He was sitting on the roof of the Dove one night and saw a flock of pigeon's in the dark yard of Mistress Trout's. But they weren't cooing, or making noise like they usually did at breakfast, instead they stood there in a semicircle around a seated figure. _Beka._ Rosto went quietly from his rooftop to the ground and then over into the yard where he saw Beka explaining to the flock that Slapper was gone. She held a pigeon he knew was called Mumper in one hand and was feeding a younger bird called White Spice. He sat down next to her.

"It's a shame he couldn't have died here in Corus." Rosto said quietly, spreading breadcrumbs in front of Pinky and Featherhead. They quietly picked at it.

"He didn't love anyone here," Beka whispered. "They're just birds."

"No, but he trusted you." Rosto knew she'd read into that.

**You are my sweetest downfall**

**I loved you first, I loved you first**

**Beneath the stars came fallin' on our heads**

**But they're just old light, they're just old light**

**Your hair was long when we first met**

"Pounce didn't go with you to Port Caynn," Rosto said, and looked around. The Cat was nowhere near. "Was he here in Corus?"

"He's a constellation. He was dealing with the other Constellations. They were getting unruly, supposedly." Beka said quietly, drawing her legs closer to her, not trusting how close he was.

"They're just little lights in the sky, what kind of havoc could they wreak?" Rosto thought out loud. He didn't look at Beka, knowing that if he did he'd say something forward, and now wasn't the time for it. He wanted her to trust him, not just fall for him. It didn't work, he looked at her. She stiffened, not wanting to talk to a Rogue.

"I have to go. I should go back to bed." She left without a goodbye. Rosto gave a heavy sigh. She wouldn't trust him. Not at all.

**Samson came to my bed**

**Told me that my hair was red**

**Told me I was beautiful and came into my bed**

**Oh I cut his hair myself one night**

**A pair of dull scissors in the yellow light**

**And he told me that I'd done alright**

**And kissed me 'til the mornin' light, the mornin' light**

**And he kissed me 'til the mornin' light**

Rosto was still sitting outside when he had an idea. Pinky was pulling at his blond hair, and that was how Rosto had known. He slipped into the Dove and then carefully scaled the wall until he was at Beka's door. After a gentle scratching knock Beka opened the door, keeping it between her and whatever was outside.

"I'll not share my bed with you, Rosto," she whispered, moving to close the door. Rosto held up the small scissors folk used to cut fabric and hair. Beka stared at them. "New weapon?" she asked, confused.

"I need a haircut." He held them out to her. She let him into her room and opened a window to let light in, also lighting a candle and a lantern which cast about more light. Rosto indicated how much hair he wanted cut and Beka gawped at him but she took the scissors. Rosto sat still, though it itched at his instincts when Beka came close with the small silver scissors. Eventually she was done. She'd left the top of his hair long, until it fit into a small tail. Everything from the top of his ears down she'd clipped close. Rosto looked, if anything, more rakish than he had when they'd first met and his hair was long.

**Samson went back to bed**

**Not much hair left on his head**

**Ate a slice of wonderbread and went right back to bed**

**Oh, we couldn't bring the columns down**

**Yeah we couldn't destroy a single one**

**And history books forgot about us**

**And the bible didn't mention us, not even once**

While she had worked, Beka had left Rosto's long blond hair in a pile. When she'd finished, she'd loosely braided it then wrapped it in a handkerchief. She held it out to him, scissors on top of the braid. He took the scissors, but pushed the hair at her. Beka's eyebrow went up in a silent question. Rosto gently pushed the hair at her again.

"I could bring you down with this, Rosto. Hair is a dangerous thing to give me. A mage could track it, a dog could find you with it, and if I showed it to your Court they could very well turn on you."

Rosto put his hands over hers, closing them around the braid of hair. "You are my sweetest downfall," he said and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

**You are my sweetest downfall**

**I loved you first**

Beka watched as Rosto left, knowing that tomorrow morning the Lower City would turn itself on its head wondering who had cut the Rogue's hair. She watched as he shimmied up the wall and onto his own floor. Beka kept watching as he disappeared from sight.

"Your hair was long when we first met. I loved you first." She whispered into the night, then closed the window and went to bed, putting Rosto's braid under her pillow.

* * *

AN: i thought it was perfect ROSKA. Just thought i'd share.


	9. Chapter 9: Per Te

Song: "Per Te" by Josh Groban. (This song was originally in Italian, I think it loses some of its power in the translation.)

Pairing: Rosto and Beka. (as though I would write about anyone else…)

Disclaimer: I don't own the song, the characters, or Josh Groban (I really want that last one though).

"A Rogue is ever on the lookout. His mind is very rarely his own. He must keep all his senses constantly on alert for a sign of attack. Don't depend on just your eyes and ears. Sometimes you really can smell danger coming. Or taste it on the wind." Rosto repeated the phrase to himself as he slid along a side wall. He breathed slowly, using both his mouth and nose. He tasted the air: flat and thick with the humidity and heat of the day. He smelled…Gillyflowers. Gillyflowers and Lily of the Valley. He carefully poked his head around a corner and saw her.

**I smell in the air the scent of you**

**Little dreams had lived with me**

**Now I know, I don't want to lose you**

**That sweetness which has no age**

**Your beauty has no rivals**

**My heart wants only you**

He pulled his head back. Bright blonde tended to attract attention and he was trying to disappear. If only for the short time. What in the name of all the Gods was the Terrier doing here? He needed to speak with an old woman, wise from many years, and with a knowledge of a special gift, one that was rare and unheard of, for the most part, in the Eastern Lands. He supposed Beka was gathering information….one of her many birdies.

**For you, for you, I'll live**

**Love will win**

**With you, with you, I'll have**

**Hundreds days of happiness**

**Hundreds nights of serenity**

"Granny Fern, I don't understand," Beka said loudly and threw something. She was, apparently, seriously peeved. "You say this power is supposed to grow, and that like the gift, it has to be controlled. Apart from the dratted pigeons and dustspinners, I can't control it much. And I most certainly don't control them! Dratted birds always leaving the droppings on my clothes, or the dustspinners leaving street scummer and bits and twigs in my hair. Not that they can help it none, but I'd like to have SOME say in the matter. What use is there having the Air Gift if a mot canna do nothing with it." Her grumbling resonated to Rosto's hiding spot.

**I'll do what you'll ask me to**

**I'll go always anywhere you go**

**I'll give all the love I feel for you**

Rosto was flabbergasted. The Air Gift. Beka had it. He'd known she had an affinity for pigeons, and folk had mentioned the dust-spinners, but he hadn't thought her as being any more gifted than a common hedgewitch. In fact, she was so ratted level-headed, he'd have sworn Kora's cats had more Gift than Beka. The Air Gift, it meant that she had the power to make sound and thought corporeal. As filmy as a strand of fog, but real. She could lift his darkness. But how did he explain to her, that she was the only one who could save his life?

**Tell me that you know the future, yet**

**Tell me that this is not going to change**

**Without you I don't want to exist**

"Hush girl. The Gift grows when you grow. It ain't like the Gift them mages use at the Castle or University. It cannot be stored, nor can power be put in reserve. Your power must grow with your heart. Your Gift is stuck, child."

"Stuck? How is it stuck Granny Fern? I dinna do anything to get it stuck?" she asked, in the moment sounding like a lost or frail child.

"When your Ma died, you blocked your heart. Your heart has to grow. Accept the love you're bein given, Beka. And love in return. Try. Now be a good dearie and take this with you. Winter's approachin' fast and you'll need sommat to keep your bones from starting to creak like mine." He heard Beka argue over the present, and eventually take it with happy thanks, and vanish from the old woman's house. Rosto waited until he could be sure she was gone before he snuck around the corner.

**For you, for you, I'll live**

**Love will win**

**With you, with you, I'll have**

**Hundreds days of happiness**

**Hundreds nights of serenity**

"Don't for a minute think I dinna know you was there, Majesty. Rogue or not, I always know when sommat is lurking around my walls and hedges. I raised Beka, dinna I?" she stood there, sassy and stern, with her fists planted on her hips.

"Granny Fern, is it? It wasn't because of you that I was creeping, but because of a certain Dog with a penchant to get her teeth into unknowing Rogues." He gave the old woman a wink.

She gave a crowing laugh. "And what is it you want from me, son?"

"A little something, information." He held up a gold noble and twitched it.

"Your 'little' is worth gold? Well, sit. I'll make more tea." She gestured and cleared Beka's cup away and went to put the kettle on. Hopefully, the woman would spill what secrets she could. Rosto sat.

**I'll do what you'll ask me to**

**I'll go always anywhere you go**

**I'll give all the love I feel for you**

"How long have you been wearing Gillyflowers as a scent?" Rosto asked in Beka's ear as she frowned over her old journal while sitting in the Dove before her Watch. It was not the one she had been writing in recently, but the one she'd written in her Puppy year. He'd watched her for a minute, calming the clench in his gut when he saw her trim form in Dog-gear: what could he do, he liked the mots with leg and muscles, and sweet Beka had both.

"I don't," she said, looking up. "I dried them gillyflowers you gave me and stuck them in my chest. They give the clothes a nice smell."

"Your clothes don't smell on it now," he commented, giving an exaggerated whiff.

"My Dog gear ain't in my trunks long enough for it to take the smell. And when did you smell me earlier? And why are you smelling me?" she asked, leaning away from him skeptically.

"You were wearing a dress, I noticed." He tried to evade the question. "You used the flowers I left you? I didn't know you were so sentimental, Cooper."

"Back off, majesty," she scooted away from him, "folk ought to be wondering why the Rogues sending expensive mage-grown flowers to a Dog."

"I send them acos I'm a little sweet on you, Beka." He did it quickly, planting the kiss quickly on her cheek. He wasn't fast enough on the return, for she'd caught his neck with her hand, and he felt her fingernails gently dig into his skin. He grunted and stood stock still.

"There's some things you shouldn't steal, Master Rogue." She hissed, her eyes darting around the, mercifully empty, Dove.

**I mustn't say it to you, by now you know it**

**That I would die without you**

"That which is worth stealing, is worth the risk of keeping. And if it's so valuable as you don't want it stolen, protect it, and when it get's stolen, you let it go, and honor the thief who taught you better." He said quietly, bringing his hands gently over the one she had clenched around his neck.

She dinna say anything, rather, she let him go. "Stop kissing me, Rosto. You ain't supposed to be sweet on me. It ain't kind, to either one of us." Her ghost eyes filled with shadows, and then she blinked and looked away. She closed the journal and moved to get away. He let her walk away, watching her cross the street to Mistress Trout's Lodgings. With a quick idea he got up and ran to catch up with her.

**For you, for you, I'll live**

**Love will win**

He'd scaled the wall in less time than he'd thought it'd take and slipped into her room. He slipped over to her desk and opened it, pulling out the bit of rock which had been her fire opal. Beka walked in.

"Why you monkey fingered thief!" she screeched, lunging at him. Rosto let her take him down. "Why must you peck at me so? You're like some foolish boy, always tugging a mots pig-tails." She wrenched the stone away from him, and pummeled his side with her fist. She sat there on top of him and he chuckled.

"You know why the lads do that, don't you?" he asked, slipping his hands over her waist to keep her from jumping away.

"You're daft," she grunted, trying to get away. Rosto held tighter, enjoying the feel of muscles. "And people are daft for thinking so. You don't love me anymore than you love the Lady Moon. Le'go, Rosto." He wrenched her hands to two different sides and she fell into his arms. He held on tight as she fought to push him away. Then she stilled, a little reluctantly accepting his embrace.

**With you, with you, I'll do**

**Everything you'll ask me to**

"Stop fighting me lass, I wanna talk to you private, alright?" he said when he felt her muscles lose their fighting and tension. "I need your help. Your Air Gift is the only thing that can save my life." He whispered in her ear, saw her eyes clench shut.

"Are you dying?" she whispered, tucking her head onto his shoulder.

"It's an old curse," he whispered back, "hard to explain. An unjust curse that was eventually lifted, but I can steel feel the mages trace. He can find me, anytime, anywhere. And I'd druther he didn't. Being as I'm movin up in the world."

"Oh right, you're a real noble. Next they'll make you a baron," she snorted, but there was no evil in her comment, for he felt her hands twitch and reach for his waist. His heart clenched.

"Your gift is the only thing as will get rid of it. And save me from any future harm from said mage." Rosto pressed his lips against her hair, mindful of the spike trap in her braid.

"My gift is stuck," she grunted whispering it, so as to make the truth that much harder to hear, and giving it less chance of being real.

"I can help you get it un-stuck. I can try." He pulled her closer. She tightened her grip around his waist.

"Don't go, don't leave," she whispered to his heart, "just live. And feel something for me, just…." She swallowed the last word.

"Love" he whispered and he closed his eyes to let his heart pound away for her.

**I'll go always anywhere you go**

**I'll give all the love I feel for you**


End file.
